Weird Dreamscape, Black-Robed Man

After parting ways with Xu Qiuyan, I got into a taxi.

Maybe because I'd gotten up early today, I fell asleep as soon as I got in the taxi.

When I opened my eyes again, I was startled by the scene before me.

I was no longer in the taxi, though I was still in a car—a Nissan Corolla.

The car had a faint perfume scent, like osmanthus flowers, very pleasant. The driver was a woman.

I was sitting in the back seat, and next to me sat a strangely dressed person, but I couldn't make out his face—a hazy mist obscured his features.

The reason I say he was strangely dressed was because he wore a black robe, like a piece of black cloth draped over his body.

The woman was focused on driving. He sat there motionless, so still I couldn't even sense his presence.

The woman drove slowly, and she seemed a bit cautious, almost nervous, like she was taking a driving test.

I was about to speak when the black-robed man moved. He suddenly reached out his left hand to tightly cover the woman's mouth and nose, while his right hand unbuckled her seatbelt.

Oh crap!

Even though I still didn't understand what was going on, I knew this could cause a serious accident, and my own life might be at stake.

The woman started struggling. I shouted, "What are you doing? Let go!" As I spoke, I tried to grab the man's arm.

But I couldn't touch him at all. He was like air.

That's right, like air—because my hand passed right through his body.

What the hell.

Just as my mind was racing, I heard a loud crash, and the car jolted violently.

I realized the car had hit a utility pole on the roadside. My head slammed hard into the back of the front seat, but I felt nothing.

Stranger still, despite the violent impact, the front passenger airbag didn't deploy. The woman's chest hit the steering wheel, and she let out a pained cry.

The black-robed man stood up, turned sideways, grabbed the woman's head, lifted it, and slammed it down hard—first onto the steering wheel, then against the window. He kept doing this over and over, and soon the woman was barely alive.

My heart was racing. I wanted to help her, but there was nothing I could do. No matter whether I tried to touch the black-robed man or the woman, I couldn't exert any force.

Because when my hand touched the woman, it passed right through her body too.

All I could do was watch helplessly as the black-robed man beat the woman half to death.

Then something even more terrifying happened. The car started up again, reversed back onto the road, and accelerated forward like an arrow.

With a roar, the car crashed into the median barrier, heading straight for a large truck speeding from the opposite direction. My eyes went wide, and I thought, this is it—I might lose my life here.

I broke out in a cold sweat. Just as I had no idea what to do, a man's voice came from beside me: "Stuck in traffic again?"

I jolted awake and found myself back in the taxi. Wasn't that the same driver from before?

I looked out the window. We hadn't even gone far from where I'd gotten in.

Had that all just been a dream?

"There's a traffic jam up ahead. Probably another accident. Are you in a hurry? If you are, you can get off here—no charge. Cut through that alley over to Worker Road and catch another cab. Don't want to hold you up."

I shook my head. I wasn't in a rush.

"It's really strange. Ever since a major accident happened here half a month ago, cars keep crashing in this spot every few days."

The driver spoke casually, but I took notice.

I asked, "The accident half a month ago—was the victim a woman?"

"Yeah, a woman driving a Nissan Corolla. First she hit the utility pole on the right side of the road, then she crashed through the median and drove the wrong way into a big truck. Tsk, I saw it with my own eyes. Scared me to death. Ever since, I've had a shadow over me every time I drive. I don't dare be as reckless as before."

Woman, Nissan Corolla, utility pole, median, big truck.

Weren't these all the things I'd just experienced in that dream?

Could the woman I saw be Xie Xiaotang?

I started to feel uneasy.

"Driver, you said you saw the accident yourself. Was there anyone else in the woman's car?"

"No, just her. She looked like she was possessed or something—gave me a really bad feeling. And after getting hit twice like that, the airbag still didn't deploy. I heard from the traffic cops handling the case later that the airbag was fine, not jammed. Tell me that's not creepy. If the airbag had gone off, maybe the woman wouldn't have died."

He pulled out a cigarette and was about to light it when he remembered I was in the car. "Mind if I smoke?"

"Go ahead. Can I have one too?"

He handed me one, and we lit up. He continued, "I just think this whole thing is off. Forget the airbag—after she hit the utility pole the first time, she was clearly injured. So why would she start the car again and crash into the median? Was she trying to kill herself? If she wanted to die, why do it on the road like that? At least no one else got hurt."

Everything the driver said matched what I'd seen in the dream.

The only difference was that he said there was only the woman in the car, but I'd seen the black-robed man. And the black-robed man was the one who caused the whole accident. In other words, the real cause of the crash that killed the woman was the black-robed man.

If the woman was Xie Xiaotang, then she really didn't die by accident—it was murder.

The black-robed man was the killer.

Thinking about this, I suddenly realized I was a total rookie at investigating cases. Until now, I hadn't even thought to ask Gu Song for a photo of Xie Xiaotang. That meant I didn't even know what she looked like.

But that was fine. I'd already memorized the woman's face. I'd find a photo later and confirm if it was her.

"Little brother, there's no telling how long this traffic jam will last. Are you sure you want to wait with me?" the driver asked.

I nodded. I had nothing to do anyway, so I might as well sit in his car for a while. Later, I'd find some random place to grab a bowl of noodles, and by then it'd be time for my afternoon shift.

The driver generously flipped the meter back up. "It's nice to have someone to talk to. I won't charge you for this trip, little brother."

Just then, I happened to glance at the roadside and felt like someone was watching me.

I turned my head, and then I saw a figure in a black robe. I still couldn't make out his features, but I could feel him staring at me.

I shoved the door open and bolted out.

It was only because traffic was at a standstill that this wasn't dangerous.

The driver was stunned. "Hey, little brother, why'd you run off like that?"

I reached the sidewalk, but the Black-Robed Man had already vanished.

"Over there!" said Chu Ge.

He was standing right beside me, pointing toward Jiaxiu Tower.

I saw a black silhouette.

Without a second thought, I chased after it.

Chu Ge stuck close to me. No matter how fast I ran, he matched my pace.

But I knew he could be faster.

A thought struck me—in that dream just now, I was the only one. None of the three of them had shown up.

"I just had a dream," I said, panting as I ran.

"I know. But that Dreamscape rejected us. We couldn't get in," he said.

"Oh?" This was a first. No matter what kind of dream it was, at least one of them had always been by my side. But he said that dream had shut them out.

I wanted to say more, but Chu Ge disappeared.

The dark figure slipped into a small bamboo grove.

I followed him straight into the trees.

But he was gone again. I knew I'd lost him.

"Chu Ge!" I called out. No response.

I tried Old Xie and Duan Hongbin. Still nothing.

Unease crept into my heart.

And then it hit me—I'd been relying on them too much all these years.

Whenever trouble came, they always stepped up and carried me through.

If they weren't here, could I have made it this far? Without them, what would I even be?